Model claims Australian of the Year’s post gave her ‘body image issues’

A South Australian student says she “got body image issues” from body positivity campaigner and Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, and she wants an apology.

In a now deleted 2018 social media post, Ms Brumfitt called a photo of 16-year-old model Rhiannon Van Zuydam “sad, sultry, sexual and confused”.

Ms Van Zuydam — who was an elite gymnast at the time — says the post led to intense “backlash” from Ms Brumfitt’s followers and left her feeling bad about her body.

Press PLAY below to hear Ms Van Zuydam telling Neil Mitchell how the post impacted her

Five years on from the post, Ms Van Zuydam says she still hasn’t received an apology from Ms Brumfitt, and she wants one.

“I hope that she’s changed and she supports all body types now, because people get skinny shamed as well and it does just as much damage as getting fat shamed,” the Adelaide student told Neil Mitchell.

“It was just confronting … all these people were commenting ‘Oh I hope my children look up to you’ … I was the daughter who got body image issues from her.

“It really messed around with me.”